1️⃣ 320 g fileja (or casarecce / bucatini if unavailable) 🍝
2️⃣ 120 g ’nduja (soft, spreadable) 🌶️
3️⃣ 400 g cherry tomatoes, halved (or 500 g passata) 🍅
4️⃣ 1 small red onion or 1 shallot, thinly sliced 🧅
5️⃣ 2 garlic cloves, crushed 🧄
6️⃣ 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra to finish) 🍶
7️⃣ 60–80 g Pecorino Romano or aged Pecorino, finely grated 🧀
8️⃣ Salt to taste 🧂
9️⃣ Fresh basil leaves to finish 🌿
🔟 Freshly ground black pepper (optional) ⚫
Fileja alla ’Nduja is a fiery, deeply savory first course from Calabria: hand-rolled fileja pasta twisted into hollow tubes, tossed in a quick sauce of melted ’nduja (spreadable spicy cured pork), ripe tomatoes, garlic and a splash of pasta water, finished with Pecorino and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The result is rustic and intensely flavored — smoky, spicy, and utterly Calabrian. Perfect for lovers of bold, simple dishes that celebrate a single outstanding ingredient. 🌶️🧄🧀
Large pot for boiling pasta — ensures even cooking.
Wide sauté pan (30 cm) — roomy surface to melt ’nduja and marry sauce with pasta water.
Wooden spoon or silicone spatula — gentle stirring without tearing pasta.
Colander — drain pasta while reserving water.
Microplane / grater (for Pecorino) — fine grate melts evenly.
Sharp knife & board — for tomatoes and aromatics.
Tongs or pasta fork — for transferring pasta into the sauce.
1️⃣ Prep & mise en place
Halve the cherry tomatoes (or measure passata). Thinly slice the onion and crush garlic. Grate the Pecorino and set aside. Open ’nduja and have a spoon ready. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously (approx. 10 g salt per 1.5–2 L water).
2️⃣ Sauce base — melt the ’nduja
Heat the wide sauté pan over medium heat, pour in 30 ml olive oil. Add the sliced onion and sweat gently until translucent (4–5 minutes) — do not brown. Add the crushed garlic and stir 30 seconds. Lower heat slightly. Using a spoon, break off the measured ’nduja and add to the pan; it will melt into the oil and release its smoked-peppery aroma. Stir and let it sizzle gently for 1–2 minutes so the fat renders and flavors blend.
3️⃣ Build the tomato element
Add the halved cherry tomatoes (or passata). Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a gentle simmer, and let the sauce reduce for 6–8 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and add a pinch of salt (remember ’nduja and Pecorino are salty). If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta water later to adjust.
4️⃣ Cook the fileja
When water is boiling, add the fileja and cook 2–3 minutes less than package instructions for al dente (you want it a touch under). Reserve at least 300 ml of the cooking water before draining.
5️⃣ Finish in the pan marry pasta and sauce
Drain the pasta briefly and transfer directly into the sauté pan with the sauce (or use tongs). Turn heat to medium and toss the pasta vigorously in the sauce. Add a ladle (60–120 ml) of reserved pasta water to loosen and help sauce cling. This starchy water creates an emulsion with the ’nduja fat that coats each tube of fileja. Continue tossing 1–2 minutes until pasta is al dente and sauce clings.
6️⃣ Cheese & emulsify
Remove from heat. Add the grated Pecorino gradually while tossing; this helps thicken the sauce and bind it to the pasta. If needed, add a little more pasta water to reach a silky consistency. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter torn basil. Grind a little pepper if you like. Serve immediately.
’Nduja heat level: start with 80–100 g if you like medium heat; reduce for milder spice.
Pasta shape: fileja’s hollow tube soaks up the sauce — if you can’t find it, use casarecce, bucatini or rigatoni.
Add richness: a knob of butter added at the end rounds the heat and gives silkiness.
Pair with: a full, fruity Gaglioppo / Cirò Rosso or a fresh Greco di Bianco; as antipasto, pickled peppers or grilled eggplant; finish with a simple ricotta-lemon dessert. 🍷
Vegetarian tweak: omit ’nduja and use smoked paprika + roasted red peppers for a smoky-spicy alternative.
🥡 Storage & reheating
Best eaten immediately. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce; avoid the microwave which can make the pasta gummy.
Fileja is a traditional pasta shape from the province of Vibo Valentia (Calabria), made from durum semolina and water and commonly hand-rolled around a thin cane to create a hollow tube; it’s been an artisan staple of the Tyrrhenian coast towns. ’Nduja — the spicy, spreadable salume — hails from Spilinga (Vibo Valentia) and rose as a peasant innovation using inexpensive pork cuts, plenty of Calabrian chili, and long curing. Combining the two — local tubular pasta and the region’s famous fiery salume — is a natural outcome of Calabria’s food culture: maximizing flavor with humble ingredients.
Scholars and food writers note that while exact inventor names are rare in peasant cuisine, the pairing of fileja and ’nduja was popularized locally in the 20th century as Calabrian emigrants and returning cooks spread regional recipes; today the dish is a hallmark of Vibo-area kitchens and neighborhood trattorie.
Fileja (traditional Calabrian pasta) by Popo le Chien, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Fileja and ’nduja: traditional Italian pasta dish by Maxfalduto, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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